


Molded By His Hands

by Cannibal_Wings



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Body Horror, M/M, Surreal, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 18:59:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15031187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cannibal_Wings/pseuds/Cannibal_Wings
Summary: To wear the Mark of the Outsider is more than just baring a brand. It is a contract, an agreement, to give yourself fully to the God of the Void. The Outsider is a deity but he also considers himself an artist. The bodies of his Marked are his canvas to sculpt into something new and somethingbetter.





	Molded By His Hands

Corvo’s hands trembled as they grazed the surface of a shrine. It was a small thing, tucked away in the corner of a long abandoned apartment. A soft purple glow emanated from the tampered rat lights on the ground around the shrine. It was built to the Outsider, a deity that ruled over the Void. Many people worshiped him away from the Abbey’s watchful gaze.

But Corvo didn’t didn’t worship this god. No, he was beyond reverence. The Mark branded onto his hand flared to life and he was pulled into the Void. In the Void it was dark and cold, the wind whipped in such a way that it seemed like you’d never catch your breath. Corvo staggered only slightly when his feet touched the ground. Obsidian rock, smooth and slick sat underfoot and a dull orb, a false sun, served as the only light source. Corvo looked around for the Outsider, the past few times he was in the realm the god made himself known instantly. His eyes searched and there in the distance he saw it.

A writhing mass of darkness in all manner of shapes and limbs stood at the edge of the rock. Corvo couldn’t tell if it was looking at him or down below, there were too many eyes and they popped in and out of existence too quickly for him to register. It was the Outsider. The figure seemed to quiver, to ripple, the limbs all moved like water and the Outsider vanished from the cliffside and reappeared just a few paces from Corvo. 

Despite his best efforts Corvo still shrunk back away from the god. It was imposing, tall, and seemed to stretch out into forever. Too many eyes focused on Corvo and the limbs kept shifting and twisting. A wing folded into a leg which kicked out into a tentacle. It moved towards Corvo who bravely didn’t fall back any further. Then the body seemed to part, split in two and melt away. Limbs dripped like they were made of wax and the droplets evaporated into smoke when they hit the ground. A slender man slipped out from under the liquefying body.

His skin was white, like the moon, like snow, like death, with hair so dark the contrast almost hurt his eyes. The Outsider didn’t walk, no he floated through his domain and stopped just short of Corvo. He was tall, and reached out with his hand, long slender fingers grabbing Corvo’s chin and tilting the man’s head up to look directly into the empty black gaze of the god. Rings materialized around the Outsider’s fingers as clothes fluttered into existence to cover his nudity. 

“My dutiful Corvo,” he said, his voice spread through Corvo and cut through to his very core. It was smooth as silk but cold as ice. There was only the faintest hint of fondness on the dying words. “Here you are again, standing before me.” 

Corvo didn’t break eye contact with the god as he reached behind into a small pack and produced two thick pieces of whalebone. They had the Mark of the Outsider emblazoned on their surface. Without hesitation and only the slightest bit of fear Corvo knelt before the Outsider and held out the runes. 

“An offering?” The Outsider’s mouth twitched in a smirk before calming. “You are too good to me,” he said and took the runes from Corvo’s outstretched hands. They vanished in a blaze of purple fire and dark black smoke. He grabbed Corvo’s hand and pulled him up, his fingers brushing over his brand. “What would you like in return Corvo?” The Outsider asked. 

“I didn’t think I had a choice.” Corvo answered simply.

The Outsider tilted his head and said, “There’s always a choice, never forget that.” He took Corvo’s marked hand once more and brought it to his lips, he ghosted a kiss over the Mark and it sprung to life, he could feel the heat of it on his lips. “I offered my Mark, and you took it, knowing what that made you.” 

“Property,” the word slipped out of Corvo’s mouth, a whisper carried away on the wind that still whipped by them. 

“More than that,” the Outsider frowned. “Not just my property, the Mark is a contract, a debt, I gave you access to all the magic in the Void, but in return I get to make you more, make you _better_.” He walked on air around Corvo and looked him up and down. “You accepted my Mark, but even this was your choice, never forget it.” 

Corvo nodded. The Outsider let him have access to the powers without commitment. “You gave me three weeks,” Corvo said, his voice suddenly drier than he remembered. “Three weeks and I’d have to decide. Keep the Mark and accept your contract, or let the power fade.” He forced himself to look the Outsider in the eyes. “Here I am.” 

“Here you are,” he parroted back. “Are you ready? I must warn you, it is not pleasant.” 

Corvo grunted, “It can’t be worse than Coldridge.” 

The Outsider placed his hands on Corvo’s thick coat and pulled it away so it fell to the ground in a heavy pile. Tendrils of black smoke solidified around Corvo and started to pull apart buttons and remove articles of clothing. He saw Corvo shiver under his touch and the cold air of the Void. “Where should we start?” The Outsider asked once Corvo was naked before him. He loved starting on a new canvas. There were so many options, so many ways to carve, shape and pull the body. 

“Your name means raven in Serkonan,” he remarked and let his hand wander from Corvo’s back to his arm then across his chest and finally returning to the back. “Let’s start there shall we?” He laid his hand flat against Corvo’s back, between his shoulder blades. Corvo gasped as heat spread from where the Outsider’s cold hand rested against his skin. Black quills started to erupt from the dark skin and like infant leaves they bloomed into feathers. The pins radiated outward from the Outsider’s touch and spread over his back, up his neck, and across his shoulders. “Beautiful,” the Outsider remarked as the bloody feathers glinted in the dull light of the Void.

He walked back to Corvo’s front, letting his fingers trail across his skin and he watched as more pins sprouted in their wake. “Yes, this is a wonderful start,” he said and grabbed both of Corvo’s hands in his. He brought the Mark up once more to kiss. Hot fire spread through Corvo’s body but he didn’t fall under the pain, instead he felt invigorated. The Outsider dug his fingers into Corvo’s hand, the cold penetrated the hot and sent shivers of electricity through his body. Frigid hands worked the muscle and bone underneath, pressing deeply like a massage and spread knuckles and extended tendons. The Outsider took his time and pulled each finger carefully. 

Corvo watched in stunned silence as his hands morphed under the Outsider’s touch and feathers blossomed across his chest. Each finger was drawn out longer, but they felt stronger too. His skin toughened as scales lifted up out his skin to coat the back of his hand. The Mark still glowed brilliantly on top of the new skin. The Outsider pulled each nail out into a sharp hooked talon. “This will do nicely, I think I know how best to shape you.” He dropped Corvo’s hands and let them fall back to their resting position. 

The Outsider leaned in and whispered into Corvo’s ears, “Are you enjoying this?” He didn't wait for Corvo’s gasped reply. He moved back behind Corvo and placed both hands just below the bone of his shoulder. The skin here was fully covered in feathers and the Outsider brushed them aside and pinched. He pulled up and the skin followed. The flesh he grasped firmly in his hands and started to bend, solid bone and muscle sprung into existence to fill the skin with meat and structure. He heard Corvo’s breath catch and felt his body shutter. “Ah, it is our first session, my apologies, I’m getting ahead of myself.” He pushed his hands together and the new limbs shrank down to the size of normal arms. Once the form was correct he covered them in feathers, long and sleek. “I’ve given you wings,” he said as he leaned into Corvo’s ear once more. His breath puffing against Corvo’s skin and caused the hairs and feathers alike to stand on edge. “Wings for my prized raven.” 

Corvo’s heart was pounding in his chest, the things happening to him felt surreal, like he was drifting through a dream, like he wasn’t connected to his body. He hardly felt the way things were pulled and the new connections that popped up all over his brain. But most of all he felt something else, a connection forming he couldn’t explain. It emanated from the Mark and filled him with something he couldn’t understand, but it also opened a part of him up to the deep expanse of the Void. He felt himself falling into it, and no matter how much he gave or fought the opening never closed. He gasped under the Outsider’s touch and looked up into deep black eyes that gave no hints of emotion. 

“Don’t worry about falling Corvo,” the Outsider said. “I will catch you my Dearest.” He cupped Corvo’s face and felt the man flush hot beneath his touch. Gently he pulled and Corvo’s neck extended up with broad soft feathers covering the skin to his jaw and blending in with his long hair. The Outsider pressed his forehead to Corvo’s before gently kissing the skin, as he pulled away a beautiful purple and green eye opened in the spot where his lips graced the skin. Still holding Corvo’s face he placed his thumbs gently underneath Corvo’s two natural eyes. “You’ll need to see things the Heart cannot show you,” he said. He moved his thumbs outward and dug the skin away so two more eyes could fill the new sockets. They were both a mix of green and purple and glowed ever so slightly with the energy of the Void.

The Outsider tenderly touched Corvo’s face and brushed some stray hairs from his eyes. “What should I do with your face?” He asked. “You’re already so beautiful, so perfect.” He traced Corvo’s nose and mused, “A beak? A muzzle?” 

“Teeth,” Corvo managed to gasp. “Teeth,” he said again. 

“A lovely idea.” The Outsider tilted Corvo’s head and captured his lips with his own. Corvo blinked in surprise but allowed the Outsider to kiss him. He could feel the god’s tongue over his teeth and gums and how his jaw and mouth shifted with the touch. The Outsider grinned mid-kiss and could taste the metallic tang of blood in the saliva. Teeth were elongated and shaped into points with the guidance of the Outsider’s tongue. The Outsider broke the kiss and stepped back from Corvo, he wiped a stream of blood from Corvo’s chin. 

“This about all your body can handle for now Corvo,” the Outsider said. He smoothed back Corvo’s hair and gently touched his handy work, the feathers, the fledgling wings, and dangerously sharp talons. “I must send you back to your world now my beautiful Raven, my Marked, my Corvo.” Under his touch he could feel that Corvo wanted more.

And he did, he realized, want more. Throughout the whole process instead of great horror he felt longing and the desire for more. It was like there was more than the wind whispering into his ears. The changes felt natural, they felt _good_ and he was left shocked and cold when they stopped. He dared to wonder if he could get addicted to god’s touch and euphoria that came with it and spread through his mind. 

Shadows returned to swirl around Corvo and slide clothing back onto his body. The Void altered the shirt and jacket to accommodate the new appendages with far more precision than even the finest royal tailor could achieve. “I do hope you weren’t left… wanting,” the Outsider said. “I return you now to your world, to rest, to recover, and to use what I have given you to your advantage. There will be hardships and troubles, my gifts are not for those who wish to return to a normal life. But you knew that already, didn’t you?” 

Corvo nodded, his senses were returning and sharpening. He remembered back to when he was first drawn into the Void. There were creatures bearing the Mark beside the god, grotesque monsters that teased the mind with their form, so close to something recognizable but so far from reality at the same time. They were the Outsider’s, previous Marked that either failed him or owed him more than they could ever repay. He knew that he could become just like them, guard dogs owned by the God of the Void, indebted to an eternity of servitude. Yet he took the risk anyway, he had to, to save Emily and bring the Empire back from the edge. He would sacrifice himself several times over if it would save his daughter. 

“You, Corvo,” he said again leaning in so his face was close and their noses touching, “are my favorite. Don’t disappoint me, I’ll be waiting for your return and watching your progress with the utmost interest.” 

Corvo could feel his body shift through space and time. He felt the warm air of Dunwall and the could smell the dust and must of the abandoned apartment. The Void was fading away around him and the last thing he heard was the Outsider say, “Seek me out again soon, when you are stronger, for there is more of you yet to mold.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is something I wrote mostly for myself and a friend, but I figured I'd post it to Ao3 as well in case this kind of thing was also someone else's jam.
> 
> Ever since I played the games I've been toying with the idea that Outsider is more than he appears. That he something beyond description and holding a power never shown to us. I've always loved the idea of a non-human Outsider, despite that he cannot change form in canon, and I'll probably do more pieces using the idea. 
> 
> I'm also a huge sucker for monsters, transformation, and mutation based stuff. I have another marked are monsters type AU that I want to do but it doens't have a plot as well as one where bone charms mutate the body when used. In the meantime I want to do two more chapters of this possibly, one more with Corvo and one with Daud. If there's interest I'll post them here as well. If not, then...I'll probably still post them here. haha. 
> 
> It's tagged CorvoSider for the weird, romantic undertones and kiss, though it's pretty light in this story. I want to do more with them in a future chapter, but I hope the tag didn't leave anyone desiring more. 
> 
> I'm aware that this is a niche type of fiction, so to anyone who read it all the way through a massive thank you. And to those who enjoyed it, drop me a comment and let me know! Shit, even if you didn't enjoy it drop me a comment. I love feedback and hearing from readers. Esp when I do "odd" stories like this.
> 
> Edit: fanart: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15218294


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